Heuchera plant named ‘Lipstick’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Heuchera  plant substantially as shown and described, characterized by red flowers on repeat blooming spikes, medium small, bluish green leaves, a low mounding habit, and excellent vigor.

Botanical denomination: Heuchera spp.

Variety designation: ‘Lipstick’.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera and given the cultivar name of ‘Lipstick’. Heuchera is in the family Saxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Lipstick’ originated from a planned cross between Heuchera 542-1, a proprietary unreleased plant, as the seed parent, and Heuchera 465-1, a proprietary unreleased plant, as the pollen parent. Compared to the seed parent, Heuchera 542-1, the new cultivar has red rather than white flowers. Compared to the pollen parent, Heuchera 465-1, the new cultivar has flowers that are red rather than rose red.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Blood Red’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,153), the new cultivar is a larger plant, with larger leaves that are a bluer green when mature. The flowers of the new cultivar are smaller. The new cultivar is a repeat bloomer.

This new Heuchera is distinguished by:

-   -   1. red flowers on repeat blooming spikes,     -   2. medium small, bluish green leaves,     -   3. a low mounding habit,     -   4. and excellent vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (cuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by stem cuttings and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The figure shows a two year old Heuchera ‘Lipstick’ in bloom, growing in the garden in full sun in May in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Heuchera cultivar based on observations of two-year-old specimens grown in the garden in full sun in May in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to an average of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:     -   -   Form.—Basal rosette, herbaceous perennial.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4 to 9.         -   Size.—22 cm tall from top of the foliage to the ground and             36 cm wide.         -   Habit.—Low mound.         -   Vigor.—Excellent.         -   Roots.—Fibrous, freely branching, fine, and white in color;             roots develop easily from cuttings. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Arrangement.—Basal.         -   Shape.—Broadly ovate to orbicular.         -   Lobing/division.—5 main lobes, with 1 to 3 shallow secondary             lobes.         -   Venation.—Palmate.         -   Margins.—Broadly crenate.         -   Apex.—Mucronulate.         -   Base.—Cordate, lobes overlapping at the base.         -   Blade size.—Grows to 7 cm long and 7 cm wide.         -   Surface texture.—Both sides glandular.         -   Petiole description.—Grows to 17 cm long and 2.5 mm wide,             glandular hairs, Yellow Green 146D.         -   Leaf color.—New immature leaves topside, Green 138A with             interveinal areas Yellow Green N144D, bottom side Green             138B; mature leaves topside, Green 135A along veins with a             heavy silver veil closest to Greyed Green 189B, bottom side             Yellow Green 147B. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Size.—Grows to 5.4 cm wide and 19 cm long.         -   Type.—Thyrse.         -   Number of flowers per thyrse.—85 per thyrse.         -   Number of thyrse.—About 40 in first spring bloom.         -   Peduncle.—Grows to 42 cm tall, 3 mm wide at base, Greyed             Purple 187A.         -   Pedicel.—Variable in size, with glandular hairs, Greyed             Purple 187A.         -   Bloom period.—May through June with sporadic rebloom all             summer in Canby, Oreg. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—3 mm wide and 7 mm long.         -   Description.—Glandular puberulent, ovoid.         -   Color.—Red 53A with tip Greyed Purple 187A and base Red 47D. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Perfect.         -   Shape.—Campanulate.         -   Size.—10 mm long and 11 mm wide.         -   Petal description.—5 in number, 3 mm long, 1 mm wide,             spatulate with a clawed base, reflexed, tip acute, margin             entire, glandular on top and bottom side, Red 53D on both             sides.         -   Calyx description.—10 mm long and 11 mm wide, with 5 lobes,             divided ⅔ way to the base, each 4 mm long and 3.5 mm wide,             glandular hairs on both sides, tip obtuse, margin entire,             inside Red 53A and outside Red 53A with tip and base Greyed             Purple 187A.         -   Stamen description.—5 in number, 3 mm long, filament 2.5 mm             long, White N155B, anthers Greyed Orange 164B, no pollen,             male sterile.         -   Pistil description.—One central two beaked pistil, 4.4 mm             long, ovary 2 mm long and 2 mm wide, Green Yellow 1D, style             2.5 mm long , White 155B.         -   Fragrance.—None.         -   Lastingness.—Each thyrse blooms for about 2 weeks on the             plant. -   Fruit:     -   -   Type.—Two beaked capsule.         -   Size.—7 mm deep by 2 mm wide.         -   Fertility.—Good.         -   Color.—Greyed Brown 199A. -   Seed:     -   -   Shape.—Linear.         -   Size.—2 mm long.         -   Color.—Black, RHS 202A. -   Disease and pest tolerance: No known resistance to rust, a common     problem with light leaf type Heuchera. Excellent disease tolerance     to powdery mildew. All Heuchera are susceptible to root weevils. 

1. A new and distinct Heuchera plant as herein illustrated and described. 